Top 2023 ATH Sonny Styles Goes In-Depth on Notre Dame Visit
2023 Pickerington Central (Ohio) athlete Sonny Styles led his team to a playoff win on Friday night and then made the drive over to South Bend to catch Notre Dame's 34-6 win over Navy on Saturday.
"It was good and it was cool to witness a historical game," Styles told ISD. "I got to see my brother and was able to talk with Coach (Marcus) Freeman and Coach (Brian) Kelly, so that was great to catch up."
The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder appreciated the time with Kelly and didn't take it for granted.
"He was asking how I was doing," Styles stated. "Being able to talk to him now says a lot, so that was pretty cool."
The nation's top athlete also got plenty of time with Freeman during his visit as the two were able to meet a few different times, including 1-on-1 before the game on the field.
"The message is always there that they want me at Notre Dame," explained Styles. "We were just talking about life.
"It means a lot. They want to recruit the best players they can, but it means a lot when they're building relationships and actually trying to get to know you outside of being a football player. Relationships are a big thing for me."
Saturday also presented another chance for Styles to see the Notre Dame defense and how he could be used in South Bend.
Now, Navy's offense is an outlier, but Styles noted how the entire defense came together to hold the Midshipmen under 200 yards of total offense.
"When you're playing a team like Navy, it's a little difficult, especially when you don't play a team like that throughout the year," Styles said. "You don't even get a week to prepare for them, so it showed Notre Dame's discipline, the coaching and the willingness of the players to listen and stay locked in to do their job."
Styles' brother, Lorenzo, was coming off two big performances and it didn't surprise the Pickerington Central star.
"I'm super proud of him," stated Styles. "He's just getting started. He works his butt off and deserves everything he has coming his way."
New 2023 Notre Dame linebacker commit Drayk Bowen was also in town for the game, which was the third game this year both players have attended.
Bowen and Styles have a solid friendship, but both players respect each other more than anything.
"One thing I like about Drayk is he isn't going to try to pressure you into doing anything," Styles explained. "I think that's what a lot of good people do. When you talk about kids recruiting for their school when they're committed, I don't think it's about pressuring other recruits to come play with you.
"Being who you are is enough and that attracts people to come play with you. That's what Drayk does."
Styles has a top five of Clemson, Florida, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Ole Miss. It's long been considered a battle between the Buckeyes and Irish, but it's not for the reasons most believe.
"Both schools are amazing schools and have established an early relationship with me," stated Styles. "I had an offer from Indiana my freshman year before I played, but once I played my first game (sophomore year), Ohio State offered, so they pulled the trigger pretty quick. Notre Dame pulled the trigger quickly as well.
"That says a lot about how much both programs believe in my ability. I've continued to build those relationships as my recruitment goes on.
"I think everyone has assumed it will be an Ohio State and Notre Dame battle with me having ties to both. You would think they wouldn't have to recruit me as hard, but I think both are recruiting me harder than other schools. I think that's something people don't get."
As for a decision, Styles is still taking his time with his decision, but he knows that time is getting closer by the day.
"I haven't really thought about setting a date," said Styles. "I'm starting to get closer to a decision as my recruitment goes along, but I haven't decided on a date or anything."
Ranking
ISD: 94 (four-star)
247: 95 (four-star)
Rivals: 6.1 (five-star)
ESPN: 87 (four-star)
Composite: 99.64 (five-star)
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